Sheet holder



Patented Nov. 17, 1942 SHEET HOLDER William Percival Pitt, Union, N. J., assignor to Fred Pitt, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 9, 1941, Serial No. 397,225

7 Claims.

This invention relates to sheet holders of the type that comprise two flat, rigid cover plates that are hingedly connected together to receive sheets between them, and means for separably or releasably clamping and holding the sheets in position between the cover plates. The sheet holder is especially useful for temporarily holding and preserving against injury records or charts for hospitals, railway or motor truck freight ollices, and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a sheet holder of the general character described which shall include a novel and improved sheet holding clamp that is normally influenced by a spring into closed position to clamp the sheets and is manually actuated into open position by swinging of the cover plates apart so that one of the cover plates serves as a lever handle for opening the clamp.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved sheet holder of this character wherein sheets may be releasably held between one of the cover plates and a clamp jaw that is hingedly connected to and spring-iniluenced toward said cover plate, and the other cover plate is hingedly connectedkto said clamp jaw, so that the cover plates may swing toward each other to enclose sheets between them and the second-mentioned cover plate can be swung backwardly into overlying relation to said clamp jaw to serve as a lever for actuating the clamp jaw about the hinged connection thereof to the first-mentioned cover plate so as to open the clamp and release said sheets.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved, simple, reliable and durable spring-hinged connection of said clamp jaw with the cover plate; to provide a novel, simple, inexpensive and reliable stop for limiting swinging movement of said clamp jaw into open or sheetreleasing position; and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out bythe following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a sheet holder embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 and showing the cover plates of the sheet holder in normal sheet-clamping and sheet-covthe hinge element of the sheet-holding clamp, and Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modification of the invention. y

The main feature of my invention Ais a clamp which comprises two jaws that are connected in a novel and improved manner by a spring hinge so that the jaws may clamp between them sheets of paper or the like. One of the jaws may constitute one of the cover plates of a sheet holder, and the other jaw may have the other cover plate hingedly connected to it to serve both for covering the sheets and as a handle for opening the clamp.

More specifically describing the invention, the reference character A designates a bottom cover plate that is preferably rigid and formed of metal or a laminated structure including a core I which comprises `a sheet of ber or cardboard enclosed between thin metal sheets 2.

`A clamp jaw B is hingedly connected to the top side of the cover plate A so as to removably clamp and hold sheets of paper or the like 3 between itself and the cover plate A.

The hinged connection between the cover plate A and the clamp jaw B is shown as comprising a vhinge element C that is channel-shaped and constitutes a strip of metal having its base 4 abutting one edge of the cover plate A and a flange 5 that is approximately perpendicular to the base d and secured to the bottom side of the cover plate as by soldering or spot welding the flange to the bottom metal sheet 2. The hinge element also has a'second flange overlying the top side of the cover plate with its edge upturned as indicated at 6 and its intermediate portion 1 inclined to the base 4 of the hinge element to form an upwardly facing groove 8 between said upturned edge and said inclined intermediate portion.

.The-clamp jaw B is formed of a rigid strip, preferably metal, and has a depending flange 9 at one edge seated in the groove 8 so that the jaw may hingedly swing toward and from the plate A., A spring I0 holds the clamp jaw in said hinged relation to the hinge element and normally actuates the jaw towardthe plate. As shown, this spring I0 is channel-shaped or in the form of a longitudinally split tube, and one edge of the spring abuts the bottom side of the cover plate A behind the edge of the ange 5 of the hinge element as indicated at I2, while the other edge of the spring abuts the top side of the clamping jaw B and is disposed in a groove I I in the clamp jaw. rIhe groove II and the angle formed between the edge of the flange 5 of the hinge element and the bottom side of the top plate, thus form seats for the edges of the channel-shaped spring to prevent displacement of the spring in one direction, while the embracing relation of the spring to the edge of the cover plate, the hinge element and the clamp jaw, prevents displacement of the hinge in the other direction. The spring I 0 may be applied by simply sliding it endwise longitudinally along the hinge element with the edges of the spring sliding in the above-mentioned seats, and the spring of course may be removed by sliding it in the reverse direction.

With this construction, the plate A and clamp jaw B are normally pressed together by the spring Ill so as to firmly hold sheets or the like between the plate and jaw, and the plate and jaw may be hingedly swung apart about the hinged connection of the clamp jaw with the hinge element C for insertion and removal of the sheets. The inclined portion I of the hinge element serves as a stop to be abutted by the ilange 9 of the clamp jaw upon swinging of the clamp jaw away from the plate A, so as to limit such swinging movement, as shown in Figure 3.

The top cover plate D that may be of the same general construction as the plate A, has one edge hingedly connected at I3 to the free edge Of the clamp jaw B so that said cover plate D may swing about the hinge I3 relatively to the cover plate A to expose and cover the sheets that are held in the clamp. The cover plate D also serves as a lever handle for actuating the clamp jaw away from the bottom cover plate A to open the clamp, this operation being effected by swinging of the top cover plate D backwardly into overlying relation to the clamp jaw B and pressing downwardly on the top cover plate at a point outwardly of the hinged connection of the clamp jaw to the hinge element, as shown in Figure 3. Obviously upon release of such pressure on the top cover plate, the spring I0 will actuate the clamp jaw B into clamping relation to the bottom plate A.

If desired, the parts of the clamp may be constructed and related to each other so that the spring .It will hold the clamp jaw B in open position or swung away from the plate A, as shown in Figure 5. One manner of accomplishing this result is to change the angle of the inclined portion of the hinge element as indicated at 'Ia so f that said portion will be located with respect to the seats II and I2 and the groove 8 or hinged connection of the clamp jaw B with the plate A, so that when the clamp jaw is fully opened with the flange 9 abutting the stop la, both of the seats II and I2 will be at the same side of the groove 8 opposite that at which said seats are located when the clamp jaw is in its closed or sheet-clamping position. Figure 5 of the drawing shows the clamp jaw in its full open position with the two seats I I and I 2 disposed in the same common plane :c-:c that is located at the rear side of the groove 8.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that my invention provides a simple, inexpensive, reliable and durable clamp which can be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled.

While I have shown and described the invention as embodied in certain now preferredv details of structure, it should be understood that the construction of the clamp may be widely modified and changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A sheet holder comprising a bottom cover plate, a hinge element abutting one edge of said cover plate and having a flange secured to the bottom side of the cover plate, said hinge element having another ange overlying the top .side of said cover plate and formed with an upwardly facing groove, a clamp jaw having a depending flange at one edge seated in said groove so that the other edge may hingedly swing toward and from said bottom cover plate to clamp and release sheets between the clamp `aw and lsaid cover plate, a spring holding said clamp jaw v in said hinged relation to said hinge element and normally actuating the clamp jaw into sheetclamping position, and a top cover plate hingedly connected to said clamp jaw for swinging movement toward and from the bottom cover plate to cover and uncover said sheets, said top cover plate also being swingable' b'ackwardly intol overlying relation to said clamp jaw to serve as a lover handle for actuating said clamp jaw about its hinged connection to the bottom cover plate into sheet-releasing position.

2. A sheet holder comprising a bottom cover plate, a hinge element abutting one edge of said cover plate and having a flange secured to the bottom side of the cover plate, said hinge element having another flange overlying the top side of said cover plate and formed with an upwardly facing groove, a clamp jaw having a depending ange at one edge seated in said groove so that the other edge may hingedly swing toward and from said bottom cover plate to clamp and release sheets between the clamp jaw and said cover plate, a longitudinally split tubular spring embracing said edge of said cover plate with one of its edges abutting the bottom side of the cover plate behind the edge of the first-mentioned ange of said hinge element, the other edge of said split tubular spring frictionally bearing upon said clamp jaw for holding said clamp jaw in said hinged relation to said hinge element and Vnormally actuating the clamp jaw into sheetclamping position, and a top cover plate hingedly connected to said clamp jaw for swinging movemont toward and from the bottom cover plate to cover and uncover said sheets, said top cover plate also being swingable backwardly into overlying relation to said clamp jaw to serve as a lever handle for actuating said clamp jaw about its hinged connection to the bottom cover plate into sheet-releasing position.

3. The sheet holder set forth in claim 1 wherein the second mentioned flange of said hinge element has a stop shoulder to be abutted by said fiange on the clamp jaw upon swinging movement of the latter into sheet releasing position so as to limit said swinging movement.

4. The sheet holder set forth in claim 2 wherein the second-mentioned flange of said hinge element has a stop shoulder to be abutted by said flange on the clamp jaw upon swinging movement of the latter into sheet releasing position so as to limit said swinging movement.

5. A clamp comprising a plate, a channelshaped hinge element consisting of a strip of metal having its base abut-ting one edge of said plate, a ange secured to 'the bottom side of the piate and a second flange overlying the top side of said plate with its edge upturned and its intermediate portion inclined to said base of the channelshaped element to form an upwardly facing groove between said upturned edge and said inclined intermediate portion, a clamp jaw having Ia depending ange seated in said groove so that said jaw may hingedly swing toward and from said plate, and a spring holding said clamp jaw in said hinged relation to said hinge element and normally actuating said clamp jaw toward said plate, said inclined portion of said hinge element serving as a stop shoulder to be abutted by said ange of the clamp jaw upon swinging movement of the jaw Iaway from said plate so as to limit said swinging movement.

6. A clamp comprising a plate, a hinge element having a flange secured to the bottom side of said plate along one edge thereof and another ange overlying the top side of said plate and having an upwardly facing groove, a clamp jaw having a depending flange at one edge seated in said groove so that its other edge may hingedly swing toward and from said plate, and a longitudinally split tubular spring embracing said edge of said plate with the edges of said split tubular spring bearing upon the bottom of said plate and upon said clamp jaw respectively for holding said clamp jaw in said hinged relation to said hinge element and normally actuating said clamp jaw toward said plate, the second-mentioned ange of said hinge element having a stop shoulder to be abutted by said 'ange on said clamp jaw upon swinging movement vof the latter away from said plate s o as to limit said swinging movement.

7. A clamp comprising a plate, a hinge element having a flange secured to the bottom side -of said plate along one edge .thereof fand Ianother flange overlying the top side of said plate and having an upwardly facing groove, a' clamp jaw having a ydepending ange at one edge seated in said groove so that its other edge m'ay swing toward and from said plate, said clamp jaw having a groove on its top side, and a longitudinally split tubular spring embracing said edge of said plate with one edge bearing upon the bottom side of the plate behind the edge of the first-mentioned flange of said hinge element while the other edge of said split tubular spring is frictionally seated in said groove in the -cl-amp jaw, whereby said clamp jaw is held in said hinged relation to said hinge element and normally actuated toward said plate and said split tubular spring is held against displacement.

W'ILLIAM P. PITT. 

